<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>the greatest films of all time were never made by katiekat784</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29056824">the greatest films of all time were never made</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/katiekat784/pseuds/katiekat784'>katiekat784</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Folklore [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Gilmore Girls</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>7x12, F/M, Lorelai looks at her inability to find love, Not completely canon, but canon adjacent, post episode, to whom it may concern</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 10:56:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,170</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29056824</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/katiekat784/pseuds/katiekat784</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Lorelai is a believer in fairytales and Prince Charming and all that happily ever after bull... so why couldn't she find her own storybook ending? Every age when Lorelai thinks she’s found her true love, and the outcome of each failed attempt.</p><p>Or</p><p>After what seems like an eternity of wrong turns and bad choices, she finds her happily ever after with him, with Luke, her Luke. And it isn’t a surprise for anyone else in her life – they all knew it would eventually happen when they both pulled their heads out of their asses – but it’s a shock for her. Because for years, she found herself unable to even let the possibility of him being her final chapter fester in her mind. But then he decides they’ve waited long enough for the inevitable and that it’s time to do something about it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lorelai Gilmore/Christopher Hayden, Lorelai Gilmore/Max Medina, Luke Danes/Lorelai Gilmore</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Folklore [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2131743</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>the greatest films of all time were never made</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Based off of track 1 (the 1) in Taylor Swift's Folklore album. This was originally supposed to be around 500 words but the idea grew into this. It's not entirely accurate but there aren't any changes that make the show or the characters unrecognizable.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em>And it's another day, waking up alone.<br/>
</em> <em>If my wishes came true<br/>
</em> <em>It would’ve been you.</em></p><p><em>Eight.</em><br/>
The first time Lorelai’s belief in fairytales is shaken is because of Tommy Wheeler. He’s missing a front tooth but smiles extra wide like he doesn’t care. He has a mane of beautiful brown hair and is always sitting next to her in class. So, when one day he gives her a dandelion at recess and asks her to marry him, she says yes. She marries Tommy Wheeler under the big oak tree by the swings at lunchtime. He calls her a princess, and she thinks about all the fairy tales she reads and how easy it is to find her prince Charming. Two days later, he tells her he’s marrying Lizzy Sopani because she has a cooler backpack and is less weird. She thinks about how the fairytales she reads never told her about this.</p><p><em>Thirteen.</em><br/>
She kisses George Thorneberg II under the bleachers of the first homegame. He tells her she has the prettiest smile he’s ever seen, and she feels herself melt a little. Her belief in fairytales less overt but still very much present.  He promises to take her to the movies next weekend and asks if she wants to be his girlfriend. He’s smart and gorgeous and interested in her. So, she says yes and lets him kiss her. There’s way too much tongue and his hands wander too low for her for her comfort, but she pulls away before anything else happens. In the back of her mind, she wonders if this is what all the princesses were really talking about when they describe their magical true love’s kiss. When the game ends, she goes home with a slight skip in her step. She writes about him in her journal that night. And all weekend, she scribbles little hearts around their names. He’s her prince Charming, or he would’ve been. But that Monday morning, he tells everyone that he was under her skirt and just like that, the dream of George shatters and she’s left standing there by her locker feeling utterly stupid and humiliated.</p><p><em>Sixteen.</em><br/>
She's known Chris since they were in kindergarten. Chris is funny, like properly funny. Makes her laugh until her belly aches and she can’t catch her breath kind of funny. And he’s kind, listens to her ramble on and on about the life she wants, away from the control of Emily and Richard. So, when one day, he kisses her to shut her up from ranting because they’re supposed to be studying, she’s thrilled. His kisses make her slightly dizzy and leave her breathless, so she kisses him again and again. She thinks that maybe, this is what love is supposed to be like. The little girl fantasy that she’s tried to push down comes fluttering back into her mind and she doesn’t stop it. But then two months later it all comes tumbling down when she sees the strip turning pink. And just like that, the fantasy of a white picket fence and living in bliss with her prince Charming is thrown out the window. And suddenly she finds herself being asked to marry him and she pauses at the thought. Because it was the right thing to do in this situation but it's not what she wants. She wants to be asked because it's real, because it's them growing old together and riding off into the sunset and them being happy for the rest of their lives. She wants to be asked because it’s actually love and not because it's right thing to do. Her dreams, her future now revolve around this tiny little human growing inside of her and giving this child a good life, a better life than the one she’s living in.</p><p><em>Twenty-one.</em><br/>
She looks at the clock that reads 12:01 and sighs before pulling the covers down and sitting up on her bed. She stares at the beautiful girl snoring lightly in the next bed over and shakes her head. Rory had tried to stay up because she knew that it was Lorelai’s big birthday but fell asleep with a book in her hand at about 9. Lorelai was going to put her to bed way before midnight anyways but didn’t have the heart to tell her. She loves that little girl with all her heart and wouldn’t change anything about her for the world but sometimes, there are moments where she just can’t help but get lost in the ‘what ifs’. Tonight, was one of those nights. She lets herself wonder for just a moment what kind of debauchery she would be up to had this not been her life. She thinks about where she would be, if there would be someone sharing a drink with her tonight. She thinks about if they would be getting her into all kinds of trouble. If she would be laughing and making embarrassing memories and if there would be someone sharing her bed later that night. Because while Rory is a blessing, there isn’t much of a dating life that can happen when there’s a five-year-old waiting for her at home. She knows that she’s attractive, she can dazzle and charm a good percentage of the male population with her hair twirls and light touches. She gets asked out quite a lot, and it’s extremely flattering but it is also extremely fleeting. Because being a twenty-year-old single mother with a child who’s in kindergarten can make any man bolt. She does have some sort of a social life and goes out when she can. It may not be much, but she’s always been a social creature and wants to have at least a semblance of normalcy. So, there are a few first dates, but they never make it passed three. And every time, she finds herself pushing that stupid fairytale fantasy of hers further away from her mind. Except, she can’t quite get rid of it so she tells herself that it will happen someday. Just for now she needs to get herself on her feet, focusing on saving up to leave this place and make sure the little girl sleeping soundly in the next bed is given everything she deserves. She closes her eyes, gives herself a cheers and thinks of her birthday wish. She wishes that she can create a wonderful life for her and Rory, and she wishes that she can find someone to share it with.</p><p><em>Twenty-eight.</em><br/>
She meets <em>him</em> for the first time. She doesn’t see just how monumental meeting him is, not yet.  His personality is refreshing and he’s quite attractive, but she doesn’t let herself think of that. After all, she’d got a twelve-year-old and she’s just starting to get her feet off the ground at the inn. She can’t afford the luxury of dating or paying attention to anything that isn’t already in her five-year plan. But he’s kind and supplies her with much needed caffeine and listens to her when she rambles on about Rory and the awful day she’s had at the inn. He mostly lets her lead the conversations, but he’s always engaged, always remembering details of previous exchanges they’ve shared. And she finds herself wanting to be around him more. She tells herself it’s a good thing to maybe have a friend who’s not running around the playground, wanting to dress in pink tutus constantly. And he is, a good friend and a good person to have in her life. She doesn’t know just how good until it’s too late.</p><p><em>Thirty-two.</em><br/>
Max is someone she isn’t expecting. He’s smart and handsome and proper. He’s persistent and she finds herself enjoying the chase, enjoying the attention. Rory's older now, old enough that she can bring someone home without having to feel too guilty. While she’s always been careful of that, always made sure Rory knows that there will never be strange man in their home – without it meaning something – she can’t help but worry. Max is her teacher and he’s the first serious person she let’s Rory see her with. The introduction of Max as a person she’s dating, a person that she’s letting into their lives is a tricky situation. It’s foreign, and she fumbles a little and thinks that maybe it shouldn’t be this awkward to maneuver their lives to fit into each other. But the months go by and things start running smoothly and she does something she hasn’t let herself do since she was sixteen, she hopes. She lets the kernel of hope – that she’s found her prince Charming – turn into something more.  He’s fun to be around and is familiar of the life where the highs and low of prep school, a multitude of opportunities because of one’s last name and fancy dinner parties are part of the norm. But he also respects the humble life she’s clawed and sacrificed and climbed her way into creating for herself and Rory. And then the very not fairy-tale like proposal happens and she finds herself questioning things. But then he understands and listens and gives her the magic she so very much hoped she would get, and she says yes. Because she thinks that this could be it, this should be it. He’s a good man, but he’s not the man on the final page, just before the end. For a fleeting moment, in which she’d claim insanity, she thinks that maybe Luke – the crazy man who’s always been in her life – the man who built her the hoopla could be it. Her mother's words about him being in every story and forcing that confession out of her all that time ago still lingers in the depths of her mind. But the thought passes just as fast as it enters, and she banishes herself from even considering unpacking that. She truly realizes that Max isn’t her happily ever after when she doesn’t want to try on her wedding dress every night. He’s a wonderful man, could give her and Rory a great life but it wouldn’t be the life she wants. She wants a ‘world stops turning until I see you again’ kind of love. She wants a ‘make your heart skip a beat every time you kiss’ kind of love. She wants the same things she's always truly desired, true love. Max isn’t it and she lets herself wonder if she'll ever find it. Because this was the second time someone’s asked her to marry her and she hasn’t made it to the alter yet.</p><p><em>Thirty-three.</em><br/>
They’ve known each other for years now. He’s become her rock, the person she can count on for showing up, no matter what. And it terrifies her because she’s not accustomed to that. To having someone just be there unconditionally. There are no strings attached to their friendship, no ulterior motives and it’s strange. He accepts her for the person she is and doesn’t try to change her. Sure, he mocks her outrageous need for coffee and tells her that it should be impossible for her to consume that many calories in a single day. She sees his eye roll at her never-ending pop culture references, but she also sees the smile that’s always tugging at the edges of his mouth. He may not understand all her eccentric references but he’s always beside her, coming up with his own little quips. And she constantly finds herself amazed at how effortless their banter is. She never needs to slow down or change for him. Which is why she never lets herself think about just how utterly right it feels being around him. Or how the best parts of her day – of her life really – are when she’s across from him at the diner trying to see if she can make him give up pretending that he doesn’t want to laugh at her well delivered jokes. She doesn’t want to acknowledge how there’s a pang in her stomach whenever he does something incredibly sweet for them. Teaching her daughter how to ride a bike. Coming over everyday for a week with homemade soup because Rory wouldn’t eat anything else. He seems to know exactly what kind of day she’s having the second she walks through the doors of the diner. The way he cares about Rory, about them makes her feel safe and special. And she’ll never admit it, but the thoughts of a prince Charming have morphed into someone exactly like that. And it’s terrifying because some nights when she’s alone in her bed, she thinks about that. She thinks about how the image of her little girl fantasy is beginning to look a lot like <em>him.</em></p><p><em>Thirty-seven.</em><br/>
After what seems like an eternity of wrong turns and bad choices, she finds her happily ever after with <em>him</em>, with Luke, her Luke. And it isn’t a surprise for anyone else in her life – they all knew it would eventually happen when they both pulled their heads out of their asses – but it’s a shock for her. Because for years, she found herself unable to even let the possibility of him being her final chapter fester in her mind. But then he decides they’ve waited long enough for the inevitable and that it’s time to do something about it. She notices it right away, something’s changed between them. He’s giving her flowers and their teasing laced with flirting gets dialed up several notches. And he doesn’t look away in embarrassment when she catches him staring at her with wonder and hope in his eyes. And then he dances with her and she finds herself wondering why they seem to fit perfectly in each others’ arms. She thinks that he must be magic because he stares at her again, she’s so close that she notices the way his eyes linger on her mouth for a second longer than usual. And she finds herself getting lost in him, thinking there’s just the two of them on that dancefloor. The first time they kiss, she suddenly knows that this is exactly what all the fairytales meant when they talk about their true loves kiss. Because she feels like she’s flying, like his lips gave her the spark she needs to finally open her eyes and see the world for the vibrant beauty it truly is. And she’s never been more sure that she’s finally found the right one. And if this were an actual fairytale that’s when the story would finish and she would close the book, but this is reality.</p><p>The fairy tale’s different this time because she’s the one asking someone to marry her and it’s a little out of order, but she’s finally found it with him. She’s found her happily ever after with her prince charming. Except its not all the life she dreams of and she hates that she can’t stop and close the book right here. Rory stops speaking to her for a while, which tears her apart and her fairy tale’s put on hold for a moment. And Luke’s got a daughter that appears in their lives and crashes into her dream. And he doesn’t want her to know his own child just yet which breaks her heart because they’re supposed to be able to go through this together. And she’s not sure how they can build a life together when they avoid important conversations about what’s happening to them. She’s not sure how they’re supposed to have their happily ever after when they can’t seem to get to the ‘until death do I part’. But she pushes it down because he makes her happy, And in the moments she’s with him she still feels like she’s floating on air. And he’s the one who’s always been by her side, always there cheering her on and she can’t help but wonder why they didn’t do this years ago. God knows, it would’ve saved them a whole lot of heartbreaks and loneliness. But she loves him, and he loves her, and this has been in the making for almost a decade so how could they not be each others soulmate. But then more and more weight is tied to their life rafts as they’re trying to float until the inevitable happens, and they sink. She could no longer pretend once that night happens, and she realizes yet again that her book of fairytales hasn’t reached the final chapter yet, just the last page of him and her.</p><p><em>Thirty-eight.</em><br/>
She misses him. She misses him with every fiber of her being, and she doesn’t know how in the hell this could’ve happened. Her mind’s still trying to figure out how she’s lost one of the most important relationships in her life. She can’t comprehend how they fucked this up so bad.<em> He</em> snuck up on her and made her believe in fairytales again. <em>His</em> kindness, his love was a once in a lifetime kind of love, and it’s gone now. He waited for her for so many years and she couldn’t give him the same courtesy. She always been impulsive, letting her heart lead instead of her head and this was no exception. <em>He </em>was the one, the man that made her believe in fairytales and all that bullshit she believed in as a child. He was so different than what she thought her prince Charming would be, he was better. And he wasn’t perfect by any means and they had so many problems throughout the years. But they always got through them, until now. Her and her impulsivity really screwed her over this time. She tried to pretend that <em>he </em>wasn’t her happily ever after, that this was just another hurtle before the real thing appeared, which is why she chose Chris. He was the right one, on paper at least. They grew up together, came from the same life, he was Rory’s father. Chris had finally got his life together, which was why it didn’t work between them all those years ago. He was supposed to be the right one. Except he wasn’t and even he admitted defeat after all these years of waiting. Chris was a wonderful man, but he wasn’t the one she thought about when she pictured her life thirty years from now. He wasn’t the one who sent chills down her spine at the slightest brush against her skin. But Luke’s gone now, they hurt each other one too many times for it to not break them. They’re done, and she needs to move on. So that’s what she’s doing, thinking with her head instead of heart for once. And maybe if she keeps doing that, she can make herself believe in the fantasy again. She can believe that she’s going to get happily ever after, not that her actual prince Charming has slipped from her fingers.</p><p><em>You know the greatest loves of all time are over now.</em><br/>
<em>And it would’ve been fun.<br/>
</em> <em>If you would’ve been the one. </em></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading, comments are always welcome.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>